Director, Merrickville’s Jazz Fest
MJF 2021
The Director works in close collaboration with the Artistic Director, directing the activities of all aspects of the festival and represents MJF as a significant arts organization in our local jazz and cultural community. N.B.: Certain aspects of the work would vary in requirements for a virtual production versus a live festival.
The Festival Director oversees overall production of the festival by:
- managing the overall budget and finances of the festival;
- participating in the sponsorship program and supporting the Sponsorship Coordinator to develop a mutually beneficial program for our sponsors;
- overseeing the process of programming of the festival in terms of final decisions on lineup and design of the program;
- managing the official contracting process with the artists;
- developing and overseeing the festival production team as required (the size and duties of this team would vary in requirements for a virtual production versus a live festival);
- overseeing and supporting the volunteer program; working with and supporting the Volunteer Coordinator;
- overseeing the development and implementation of promotional materials and communications to advertise and promote the festival;
- managing the festival mailing list using Mailchimp.com;
- overseeing and managing online ticketing;
- hosting the festival;
- being responsible for the accounting and financial records for the festival;
- liasing with SOCAN/Entandem regarding festival licensing.
The Director’s busiest period of work is from the end of May when the programming begins until the festival ends and financial reports are completed.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is a people person, able to lead and collaborate in a positive manner and who has good organizational skills. The ideal candidate should have an appreciation for jazz and a general knowledge of the local and regional jazz scene, and should have demonstrable experience as an administrator and coordinator of events.
Experience working with various computer programs and social media skills would be an asset. Due to the restrictions of COVID-19 in 2020, all meetings and discussions took place online via Zoom, email or other virtual communication and by phone or text. Should the festival take place in 2021, this would likely be the case. In the event that the 2021 festival returned to a live presentation format, the Director would be required on site for the duration of the festival.
As MJF is a community event, organized primarily by the people of the village, and which benefits from local resources, contacts and venues, it is desirable that the Director be a resident of Merrickville. MJF has traditionally provided important opportunities for community involvement and pride of ownership in their festival. The Director has an important responsibility in leading the team to foster and encourage volunteer participation and pride in MJF so that all those involved feel their contribution is important and valuable.